5 Top Uganda National Parks to visit on your birthday.

We advise you to visit these top 5 National Parks for an amazing experience and unforgettable birthday; you intend to spend your birthday in Uganda. These include Kidepo Valley National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Murchison Falls National Park.

Your visit to one or all of these national parks will allow you to investigate the key tourist attractions Uganda has to offer, including all the Big 6 creatures which include Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Lions, Leopards, Buffaloes, and Elephants. Here are the specifics about every National Park ideal for your birthday travel in Uganda.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Given that this park provides a gorilla tracking experience allowing you to see the mountain gorillas in their natural environment, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest should be the main highlight of your birthday.

Apart from gorilla tracking, there is much more to do in Bwindi; woodland hikes and community tours around nearby communities provide insights into the life of the Bakiga and Batwa pygmy people living close by.

One may also enjoy birds in the park very well. To be let to hike mountain gorillas in Bwindi, you would require a gorilla permit costing USD 800 per person each trip.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Another fantastic National Park in Uganda worth seeing on your birthday is Queen Elizabeth National Park. Comprising the rift valley floor surrounded by lakes and magnificent wildernesses, this is Uganda’s most popular and varied national park.

Among the major events you should plan for your birthday in Queen Elizabeth National Park are a launch cruise on the Kazinga Channel, game drives to view the Big 4 species, search for tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector of the park, lion tracking and Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge among others.

Kibale National Park

Other primates found in Kibale Forest include the nocturnal bush baby and potto, Monkeys, baboons among others; Kibale Forest National Park is most known for its abundance and variety of resident primates with 13 species of primates including the largest population of chimpanzees estimated at over 1500 chimpanzees.

With over 335 bird species reported, Kibale Forest National Park is also a well-liked site for birders. Two sessions of chimpanzee trekking in the morning and afternoon will be decided by your itinerary and the chimpanzee permit you bought, therefore guiding your activity in a particular session. Though seldom seen, the park is home to big creatures like elephants, buffaloes, and huge forest hog.

Murchison Falls National Park
Located north of Kampala and Entebbe and in the northern part of the Albertine Rift Valley, the park stands Among the many attractions in the park are over 76 animal species including four members of the big five: the lion, leopards, elephants, Buffaloes. Among the other species are giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, hyenas, bushbucks, Uganda Kob, waterbucks and warthogs.

Along the Nile’s coast and in the waters you can find plenty of hippos and crocodiles among other resident species. The Murchison Falls National Park also has many monkey species including baboons among other animals. For those who like birdwatching, it also has a variety of birdlife, including the uncommon shoebill stork.

Kidepo Valley National Park
Located farthest in North Eastern Uganda, Kidepo Valley National Park borders Kenya and Sudan southward. Covering an area of 1442 square kilometers, the park mostly consists of savannah grassland with over views of the seasonal kidepo valley river and Mount Molongore, Narus Valley.

Since the park’s proximity from Entebbe Airport and Kampala where visits begin from mostly influences not yet explored, this is one of the remaining virgin national parks. With the availability of flights to the park, this is changing and bringing the park even closer than before.

When should one visit the Uganda National Parks?
Visit Uganda National parks best during the dry seasons, which run from June to September and December to February every year. The parks may also be visited all year round; dry seasons provide excellent viewing of the animals as compared to rainy seasons.

Use Katland safaris to plan your birthday safari to Uganda.
Professional office and field personnel of Katland Safaris attends to all your needs and questions. On travel advisor as well as Safari reservations, we are highly regarded. We offer the greatest and latest information you can depend on; our website is among the best and trusted sources to assist you start getting ready for your trip. Own and operated by Ugandans who have extensively explored their country for many years, Katland safaris will deal with a staff that promotes what they know.

Best Congo National Parks to visit on your birthday.

On your birthday, the two finest National Parks to visit are here. Are you going to spend and celebrate your birthday in Congo? We suggest visiting these two National Parks there. These consist of Kahuzi Beiga National Park and Virunga National Park. Seeing gorillas over your birthday will provide a chance for both Mountain and Lowland Gorillas when you visit both parks.

Among other activities you could do here on your birthday, the Nyirangongo volcano hike, bird viewing, Nature walks, Chimpanzee tracking and Habituation; these can all be booked for you when you contact us. Virunga National Park is one of the most varied tropical rain forests and oldest national parks in Africa mostly known for mountain gorilla trekking in Congo.

Lowland gorilla trekking is the most well-known activity of Kahuzi Beiga National Park; it was gazetted in 1970 and first experienced in 1973. This kind of trekking is exclusively done here, so the park ranks highly.

Out of the 15 gorilla families in the Park, only two are habituated and available for people to hike. Comprising one of the biggest gorilla families in the world with approximately 36 gorilla members, the families are known as Chimanuka and Mugaruka both named after a prominent silverback.

How much would it cost to visit Gorillas in Congo on your birthday?

The kind of travel you are interested in—budget, basic, or luxury—determines how much seeing gorillas in Congo on your birthday will cost. When you want to view gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, gorilla permits are absolutely necessary.

gorilla trekking in Congo is much less expensive and more reasonably priced than other national parks for gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, namely Bwindi and Mgahinga and Volcanoes National Parks respectively. For hiking mountain gorillas in Congo, Virunga National Park grants both conventional and subsidized gorilla permits.

The gorilla permit of Virunga National Park costs 400 USD per person per trip during the high season or peak season of the months December, January, February, June, July, August, September, and early October; thus, the park gets a lot of visitors since it is a holiday season for many people and also a dry season which makes it simple for the gorilla trip and walks across the paths in the Virunga forest.

This means that, should you want to visit Congo for gorilla trekking during these months, we urge you to reserve your trip as least three months ahead to avoid missing the gorilla permits.

Top things to do and see on your Congo birthday trip.

Trekking among mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in the Congo
Among these groups, Kabirizi is the most often visited as it is the biggest group with more than thirty-six gorilla members and is well-known for gorilla trekking.

If you would like to hike this particular gorilla troop, you will have to schedule early enough your gorilla permit at least three months in advance to avoid missing the walk.

Lowland gorilla hiking at National Park Kahuzi Beiga in the Congo

Kahuzi Beiga National Park offers lowland gorilla trekking; this activity is guaranteed when you obtain a permit; however, kindly note that the park has two families open for trekking, thus the gorilla permits are highly competitive and rare most especially during June, July, August, September, December, and February.

Any visitor is advised to book their gorilla permits three to four months in advance; sometimes gorilla tracking licenses are sold out four months in advance.

Tracking and Habituation of Chimpanzees in Virunga National Park
Both treks start in the morning hours where you will be joined by trackers and researchers to walk across the Virunga forest and search for chimpanzees. Chimpanzee tracking gives you a one-hour encounter with the chimpanzees while chimpanzee habituation gives an entire day encounter with the chimpanzees.

You will have opportunity to see and learn about their natural behavior, feeding, and routines. Those on the chimpanzee habituation excursions spend the day with them until they nest for the evening. Same with the gorilla trekking permits for the chimpanzee tracking and habituation activities you will still need to reserve your permit in advance in order not to miss out at least 3 months in advance.

Nature moves throughout the Virunga Forest.
One of the oldest tropical rain forests in Africa, Virunga National Park offers a nature walk for your birthday to let you explore and see the amazing beauty of the distinct Virunga Landscape as well as learn about the several tree species, spot birds, and, if so keenly observed, some mammals and reptiles.

Hike from Nyirangongo Volcano
One of the once-in- a-lifetime experiences one should accomplish on their birthday is hiking the Nyirangongo Volcano, located in Virunga National Park. With an elevation of 3,470 m (11,380 ft), the Nyirangongo Volcano is among the most active volcanoes in the world; little is known about the length of time the volcano has been erupting, although since 1882 it has at least 34 times erupted, most recently in 3002.

Seeing birds
One of the most varied forests in the tropics with many habitats and landscapes ranging from forests, swamps to grasslands, Virunga Forest has drawn a great number of bird species, thus the birding trip is among the must-do activities on your visit to Virunga national park. One on a birding tour will have opportunity to sight and identify around 706 known bird species. Get in touch here to enable us to plan your safari.

When should one travel to Congo?
Other months that are somewhat damp—March, April, May, October, and November most visitors avoid seeing gorillas during these months as the foliage is fully developed and pathways are very slick making the journey more tougher.

How quickly one might reach Congo?
You will fly to Kigali International Airport then connect to Gisenyi town; from Gisenyi town, you will cross the Rwanda-Congo border to Goma town in DR Congo then drive towards Bukima, and then you will reach the park headquarters of Virunga National Park from where you will start the gorilla trek. It is approximately a 2-hour drive from Gisenyi town.

Why should you book your birthday safari with Katland safaris to Congo?
Professional office and field personnel of Katland Safaris attends to all your needs and questions. On travel advisor as well as Safari reservations, we are highly regarded. We have the greatest and most current information you could rely on; our website is among the best and most dependable tools available to assist you start getting ready for your trip. Own and directed by Ugandans who have extensively studied the Congo over many years, Katland safaris will deal with a team selling what they know.

Why Visit Tanzania On A Holiday.

Visit Tanzania on a vacation; it has natural beauty, amazing animals, romantic beaches, little historic villages, archeological sites, and geological marvels.

On trip in Tanzania, you will see Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain rising from verdant, grassy plains and majestically snow-capped top above Tanzania’s terrain.

You will see the massive Great Migration thrashing over the Serengeti grasslands amid Tanzania’s wildness and beach costs. Most likely, you will finish your amazing safari trip with a calm beach vacation on Tanzania’s unique coast or the seductively stunning Zanzibar Islands.

You should go to Tanzania on a trip for many reasons, unnecessary ones included. Some of these will be discussed in the next book.

Observing the Great Wildebeest Migration

Certainly the year-round Great Wildebeest Migration in northern Tanzania is the most exciting wildlife show on the African plains. Many visitors to Tanzania on holidays are driven in great part by the phenomena. It has a unique natural beauty as well as the biggest assembly of wild creatures on Earth.

Along with hundreds of thousands of zebras, gazelles, and eland following to endure the difficult trek to new grazing areas across the northern Serengeti to Masai Mara and back, a Tanzania safari vacation will put you amid over a million wildebeests. And when there are such large numbers of ungulates, predators lack in frontiers seeking an easy meal. And then the whole performance becomes most fascinating.

Seeing the fragile lives and terrible deaths on the plains shapes your adventurous life. From the calving season on the Ndutu grasslands in Southern Serengeti to risky river crossing where hundreds perish, daring the most perilous path to grazing paradise.

While Jackals, vultures, and other carrion scavengers tidy the remains, lions, cheetahs, leopards, gigantic crocodiles, and hyenas pick out the weak one.

Watching this occurrence is best done in July through October when the wildebeest are seen on the northern Serengeti grasslands. Here you find the spectacular Mara River crossing spanning maybe thousands of years. It is the highlight of most Great Migration Safaris in Masai Mara in Kenya and Tanzania.

Calving season runs from December to March; the wildebeest are found in the southern Serengeti, most especially in Ndutu Plains. It is also a great time to view the herds gather in the southern spectacular sweeping plains and observe the river crossings.

The only time you are almost sure to see big herds gathering south for calving season is February.

Ascending The Beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro

Rising to 5,895m (19,340ft), Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in Africa and the globe. Towering over five kilometers (3 miles) above the scorching, dry plains of northern Tanzania is this dormant volcano. Many visitors visiting Tanzania on holidays do so mainly for this reason.

From its base, one of the most amazing vistas in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro’s unique form and snowcap that highlights the jagged glacier peaks.
Not only is Kilimanjaro the tallest peak, but it’s also among the easiest mountains for trekkers to climb. With a respectable fitness level, some persistence, at least five days touring Tanzania, ordinary hikers may climb it without expert mountaineering knowledge or gear.

In awe of Tanzania’s rich native wildlife
One of the main reasons a lot of people go to Tanzania on a trip is marveling at the sheer abundance of animals running throughout the nation and for the diversity on show.

Tanzania has about 4 million wild animals, 430 different kinds and subspecies included. The nation has roughly twenty percent of the big animal population found in Africa. On a safari in Tanzania is the only better spot to see Africa’s BIG Five animals. Any safari will often see elephant, giraffe, hippo, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, and predators include lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, and African wild dog.

About 60,000 bug species, 25 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, about 100 snake species, and numerous fish species call the location home. With around a thousand species, birds freely fly throughout Tanzania including hornbills, flamingos, and kingfishers.

Two of the greatest sites to appreciate this wealth of wild animals while on a vacation to Tanzania are Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The world-famous wildebeest migration takes place at Serengeti National Park (seen above).

The biggest un-flooded caldera in the world, Ngorongoro Conservation Area hides a deep, volcanic crater as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the roughly 25,000 big animals found in Ngorongoro are the threatened black rhino, wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, elephants, leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and hundreds more species. The Great Wildebeest Migration starts literally in Ngorongoro.

Returning in Olduvai Gorge from evolutionary times

A trip to Olduvai Gorge is your finest excuse to visit Tanzania on a vacation if you want to learn the life of our ancestor hominids from more than a million years ago.

Paleoanthropological site Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania has some of the earliest traces of human presence in East Africa. Millions of years of fossilized bones and stone artifacts abound on the site.

Olduvai has grown to be one of the most significant paleoanthropological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage site since Mary Leakey and her husband Louis came onto the treasures of the Gorge in 1959.

Thirty miles long and 295 feet deep is the Gorge. Beyond the lifetime of the Leakeys, scientists have been working in the Gorge gathering data to recreate a picture of our ancestral existence 1.8 million years ago.

According to the data, Gorge hominids battled lions, leopards, and hyenas among other predators. Our forebears scroulled abroad for corpses of giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, and antelope. They felt safer in the woods, so they ate there as well.

See Olduvai Gorge to learn for yourself the site where the human evolutionary past collapsed.

Monitoring wild chimpanzees in the Mahale & Gombe Forests
Once-in-a-lifetime cause to go Tanzania: spend an adventure-packed vacation exploring Gombe stream and the wooded slopes of the Mahale Mountain National Park for wild chimpanzees.

You may be pardoned to link Tanzania with only herds of wildebeest and recognizable predators across large areas of grassland. Let me be the one to surprise you—that Tanzania also has chimps soaring across forest canopy. Visitors may mix the safari vacation experience with chimpanzee monitoring at two national parks, Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains National Parks.

With the little Gombe northern-most of the two parks not far from the town of Kigoma, both chimpanzee sanctuaries are situated on the eastern banks of Lake Tanganyika.

One of just two protected areas in Tanzania, the Mahale Mountains ideally lie on the shores of Lake Tanganyika on the western boundary. It also boasts of a sizable chimpanzee population.

Running over the massive Mahale Mountains that define the northwest and southeast areas of the park, Mahale’s landscape generally shows rugged and undulating slopes.

Wander a walking safari in the breathtaking lowland forests and follow the routes of many creatures and birds calling the park home. Among the roughly eighty animal species found in Mahale National Park are a group of habituated chimpanzees that define each trip there.

Although sightings of chimpanzees are never certain, regular walking trips sponsored by informed and experienced guides increase your chances of seeing this fascinating animal. Once you locate the resident chimp group, you will have one hour to watch the happy antics and social interactions among the chimps before returning to the resort.

Though you may compare it to the chimpanzee trekking in Kibale, Uganda, the Mahale experience is more isolated and far from the world. Many go to Tanzania for this reason—more for the adventurous who loves to vanish into the bush.

Unlike the amazing Mahale, Gombe is a small park of 56 km² (5,700 hectares) containing a vulnerable and valuable area of chimpanzee habitat 16km north of Kigoma. Celebrated as the habitat for chimpanzee research, this area packs remarkable biodiversity despite its small scale. Here in the 1960s, Jane Goodall pioneered her primative research.

Like in Mahale, Gombe is best experienced in the park over a few days and accessible to guided chimpanzee trekking expeditions.

Discover the immaculate shoreline and Zanzibar island holidays.
Tanzania’s east coast has brilliant white beaches, and during a summer vacation the warm waves of the Indian Ocean are very appealing. Here you may enjoy thrilling deep-sea fishing and world-class scuba diving. One of the main reasons visitors to Tanzania on a Holiday come is

With vast lengths of uninhabited sand, tranquil Swahili towns, and little fishing settlements, Tanzania’s beaches are picture perfect. Once, significant commercial hubs German colonists, Swahili traders, and Arab slavers. Now tranquil and peaceful tourist villages. Still, the stunning beaches draw plenty of vacation visitors to Tanzania.

With its stunning surroundings and intriguing trade history, the vivid and exotic Zanzibar stimulates the imagination. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stone Town’s unique appeal is hidden behind a labyrinth of meandering lanes and elaborate doors.

Zanzibar is a resort spot rich in cultural diversity and Seatrade adventurous past. It is not a letdown that the island attracts vacationers. It should be among the key reasons of your trip to Tanzania.

See the uncommon Kirk’s red colobus monkey and Aders’ duiker in the Island’s Jozani Forest Reserve, if you’re bored with the scenery and people. Mnemba Island marks the northern shore off the islands. Rich marine variety, gorgeous landscape, and opulent lodging abound on this dreamy private island.

Ideal vacation time to go to Tanzania
Perfect for wildlife watching, Tanzania should be visited during the late June to October dry season. June and July provide the finest opportunity for seeing the Great Wildebeest Migration.

November–May’s rainy season generally brings out the most breathtaking landscape, and visitor count is lower during this time. But during the lengthy rains of March through May, the Southern and Western safari circuits are less accessible; some lodges may even shut during that time.

Making plans for your Tanzania safari trip
Our ideal is to arrange a vacation visit to Tanzania’s Serengeti during the wildebeest migration with a gorilla walking trip in Uganda or Rwanda. Let Katland Safaris Ltd. guide you through the local logistics and arrange your safari vacation using their finest local expertise.

Why Visit Kenya For A Holiday

To see the yearly wildebeest movement.

Why Visit Rwanda For A Holiday

Fantastic History and Culture

One festival when Rwanda pays respect and great significance to her culture is As the pillar of sustainable development, Rwanda values maintaining and advancing its culture very highly.

Nowadays Kigali is cosmopolitan enough to have two annual fashion shows. Kigali is an amazing chance to experience the western and Rwandan styles fusion by the best designers for fashionistas and travellers on the forefront of modern style.

Experience style at the Kigali Fashion Week in July and showcases hundreds of local, foreign, and upcoming young designers. Rwanda Cultural Fashion Week shows much more local and international talent every September.

Events and celebrations of Rwandan innovation and environment abound in Rwanda. Among the annually occurring occurrences are;

the Volcanoes National Park Kwita Izina Gorilla Naming Ceremony. New newborn gorillas are named for conservation reasons during the celebration.
The Kigali Up celebration brings Kigali music from all across the globe.

The Rwanda Film Festival presents movies from Rwanda, Africa, and throughout the globe.
The Kigali Cultural Village is a great cause to visit Rwanda for a trip if you are the sort of person who appreciates trying vibrant city cultures, cuisine, and commerce.

Local artists and street food sellers display and exchange their cultural art in the hamlet, a classic market venue. The Village sometimes organizes music festivals, seminars, and activities.

The historical relics shown at Rwanda’s Museums and Art Galleries provide an intriguing window into the nation’s culture past. A great incentive for historians and archaeologists to go to Rwanda for a vacation.

Travelers will find interesting museums and art galleries;

King’s castle, a masterfully built thatched castle fashioned like a beehive,
Possibly the greatest ethnographic collection in the area housed in the Ethnographic Museum, often referred to as the National Museum
Rwanda is Art Museum: Showcase of modern Rwandan local and worldwide artistic creations
Kigali Genocide Memorial is a burial site for more than 300,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide with an exhibition of the horrific crimes.
Showcasing Rwanda’s colonial history located in the first colonial governor’s mansion, Kandt mansion Museum
Museum of the Environment is a conservation-oriented learning facility.
the most inviting persons
Following a 100-day collapse of bloodshed killing over 800,000 people, Rwanda has had much to recover from. How could any nation ever get over such tragedy and animosity? Some nations like South Sudan and Somalia have not yet been able to bring it together.

But during the last two decades, Rwandan citizens have turned their country into maybe the most friendly city in Africa. Though a lot of elements have contributed to the rapid growth of the nation, one item stands out as the organizing concept that you should visit Rwanda for a vacation: the Umuganda.

Roughly translating as “community service,” or “coming together in common purpose,” Umuganda is a Kinyarwanda term. At least one person from every residence aged 18 to 65 goes outdoors and cleans, repairs, or conducts maintenance in public areas every last Saturday of the month.

And it’s not just the feeling of camaraderie after not-so-recent horrific injuries that should inspire your vacation trip to Rwanda. It is also the kind attitude residents show every foreign visitor to their areas. Quick to share with visitors without mistrust or judgment a tale, food, smile, or wave, Rwandese are

Strong Conservation Efforts

Rwanda has some of the most effective conservation projects in Africa with its ban on plastic bags, sustainable hotels, and large-scale wildlife protection initiatives. Actually, thanks in great part to its ecotourism initiatives, tourism is the largest foreign-exchange earner for the nation.

The comeback of gorilla tourism shows Rwanda’s great heart. By means of community engagement, this post-conflict nation may effectively concentrate on high-end tourism while preserving conservation and thus helping to reduce poverty.

You best read on if the emphasis on sustainable tourism that evokes love and pride among most Rwandans is not a decisive cause to visit Rwanda for a vacation by now.

The yearly Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony on September 24th is among the biggest conservation celebrations highlighting how dedicated Rwandese people are to the cause. Naming baby lions and gorillas gives Rwandans a feeling of responsibility and right to help endangered animals. Furthermore, the names of animals have proven essential for Rwanda’s achievement in conservation as they help game rangers and park management to track these species in their natural environment and guarantee their survival.

Tracking the endangered mountain gorillas and other primates in Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe Forest would probably draw you to Rwanda for a trip and make the most successful conservation narrative most appealing.

Incredible Primate Adventures

One of the remaining three forest sanctuaries to not only the mountain gorillas but also the golden monkey peculiar to volcanic mountains, Volcanoes National Park protects the steep slopes of the Virungas in the northwest corner of Rwanda. Many villages whose livelihoods rely on gorilla tourism call the region home as well.

Nyungwe National Park, one of Africa’s oldest rainforests with great biodiversity and breathtaking beauty on Rwanda’s southern border Including 15 additional ape species and a tiny chimpanzee population, the steep jungle is teeming with animals.

Most adventure visitors to Rwanda do so for attractions in the two national parks.

All year long, Volcanoes National Park has daily gorilla trekking events. A ticket is USD 1500 per person and covers park fees, armed guards, and a local guide. Starting at 0800 with a briefing at the tourist center, the walk splits participants into small groups of eight before entering the forest.

Before you find the mountain gorillas, you might hike for a few minutes to many hours. When you do, however, you are free to spend not more than one hour observing the gentle giants in their natural habitat feeding and socializing.

More or less like the gorilla trekking experience are the golden monkey walk in the same park and chimpanzee trekking trip in Nyungwe National Park. Still, the chimpanzees and golden monkeys are more lively than the mountain gorillas and need guests to remain on their feed throughout the encounter.

Apart from some of the most charming travel experiences, Rwanda’s primate excursions provide guests a unique chance to travel responsibly and morally. The nation’s dedication to ecotourism is shown by the large portion of monkey tourist money spent into ongoing primate preservation.

Apart from special primate excursions, Rwanda offers Big Game watching experiences. Rwanda is a sought-after safari location for holidays as it is rare to be able to observe savannah animals and monkeys in the same descent African country.

Large Game Viewing
Big wildlife could hardly be seen in Rwanda until lately. But the nation’s dedication to wildlife tourism at Akagera National Park allows one to see the amazing savannah large game in Rwanda.

Up until 1997, cultivation and poaching severely damaged this area. Communities grazing their animals in the park severely disrupted lions, leopards, and many other wildlife.

Things have changed because to a joint venture between African Parks Network and the Rwanda Development Board. The Big Five—lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo—roam the marshes, forests, and grassland studded with a dozen lakes in Akagera National Park today.

With 490 species recognized, this breathtakingly beautiful scene has also evolved into a bird watcher’s dream come true. Additionally wandering the open field grassland basin of the Kilala plain are giraffes, zebra, and topi.

And to top it all, the simplicity of logistics of organizing a safari combining Rwanda’s cultural interactions with gorilla trekking and wildlife game drives in Akagera is a fantastic incentive to visit Rwanda for a trip this year.

Simple Transportation Logistics
Although this is a very popular vacation location, planning a trip in Rwanda is as simple as compiling your shopping list. Not failing to point them that Rwanda is so small, you could travel the nation in three hours.

One trip, a Rwanda holiday itinerary can fit in gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, a visit to Rwanda’s cultural and vibrant capital of Kigali, cycling on the amazing Nile Trail, plenty of culinary experience, and unforgettable nights at one of the luxury forest resorts.

Organizing vacations in Rwanda, Katland Safaris LTD will be very pleased to assist you in easily planning your vacation to Rwanda.

Why Visit Uganda For A Holiday?

Travelers cannot come short of the reasons they should be visiting Uganda for a trip. Though it is a land-locked East African country situated between popular tourist sites, adventure vacation visitors nevertheless choose this country.

Though the area of this island is about the same as Britain, its varied topography makes it a very interesting African tourist spot. From the Karamoja parched deserts in the northeast, where cheetahs and lions pad over the golden savannah plains, to the alpine rainforest and the towering grandeur of the Rwenzori Mountains, this is an amazing nation you will want to come often, as so many others do.

The primate parks, where species co-exist as they have for millennia in a natural setting that affects the spirit, are often the major drawcard for many. Still providing the highest value private safaris available in East Africa, Uganda

Although these are all great reasons to visit, what still surprises many vacation visitors is how much they value Uganda’s friendliness. Some claim it is due to the Uganda ubuntu principle, which holds that we become human via other people and that no person can survive in solitude – thus, there is great warmth. Still, most Uganda is competent and eager to communicate in English, so you will find this a highly friendly place and interacting with residents simple.

In any case, these are the major reasons one travels to Uganda for a trip

Culture, people, and logistics all around
Uganda must be the nation screaming distinctive, vibrant, and seductive cultural experiences. With less than 199,000 km² of little geographical area, Uganda has approximately 50 ancient tribes. Every tribe speaks a unique language, follows separate customs, and only connects via modern foreign languages, styles, and civilizations.

Discovering some of the most kind and inviting lot, Uganda has a rich cultural past, celebrations, and encounters with native people. The only reason you should visit Uganda for a trip before you choose for the tried and true is if you want a diversion from the typical round of cobblestone alleys and historic art galleries.

Entebbe and Kampala’s key cities provide a wonderful introduction to Uganda’s metropolitan cultures shaped by the west but anchored in the indigenous cultural basis. From the colonial architecture, style, and food to the Eastern influences, Uganda’s urban cultures blend shows a deep indigenous roots that provides for a fascinating experience.

Kampala has a visual identity of its own. It is readily identifiable with its new gleaming structures cheek to shoulder with downtown smashes and bursting taxi parks. One may practically walk a glittering contemporary street into a wonderful combination of street markets, animals, food sellers, and humming motors.

These are the elements defining Uganda in two-dimensional representations. But Uganda is not a location you could just visit on a bucket-list vacation for sightseeing. Uganda is a sensation to be experienced by all senses; it is a stimulant running through your veins that nourishes your spirit.

As you sink your teeth into an omelet folded in a chapatti, Uganda is the sweet, milky flavor of a meal accompanied by steam still rising from the overworked black pan. The aroma of katogo breakfast permeates the air as I cross the doorway of a moving matatu.

It is smoke. As the sun sets over the lengthy street shadows, it sounds like twelve pounding drums and the mellowing adhan. Nestled in a verdant sanctuary in the center of a tropical jungle, it is the peace as I watch expert Kiganda dancers move as gently as the setting sun behind them.

These intangible qualities make Uganda worth visiting for a trip, which attracts returning tourists for ever.

From the small forest people living with mountain gorillas in the extreme southwestern mountains to the tall Maasai-like nomadic pastoralist roaming the Karamojong deserts in the extreme northeast, every direction you travel from the central capital into the countryside has some cultural magic that will astound your taste for cultural travel.

From the masculinity honoring Gisu’s in the East to the long-horned livestock keeping farmers in the west, Uganda’s people and customs are as appealing as friendly.

Views of Scenic Landscape from Uganda
Uganda’s scenery are distinctive and suited for Churchill’s branding term, “The Pearl of Africa. Often associated with good living and enjoyment. Nature is giving here, and the people have honored it for centuries until the stranger disturbed its holiness.

From the lush valleys of Kabale to the white-topped Rwenzori highlands and untouched rainforest rainforests alive with crazy numbers of monkey species, this is an area lacking nothing in terms of scenery.

Many of the southwest reflect the very essence of Uganda. A dreamy nation with great lush hills covered with pine trees where the terrain becomes poetry.

Its hues are absolutely green all year long, with single shiny-roofed homes perched on hillsides with impressively terraced slopes rising upwards. See it for yourself; you’ll know why so many bloggers and authors refer to it as the gem of Africa and why every visitor looking for inspiration should go to Uganda.

You never too far from a beautiful view or a fascinating natural feature wherever you visit in Uganda. The nature reserves, big lakes, and waterfalls it meanders over contrast with the longest river traversing the planet to the northwest.

The unusual fynbos flora kingdom calls West of the Nile river in Uganda home. spectacular Murchison Falls dumps hundreds of gallons of water per minute over the brink of an amazing river valley as the Nile leaves Uganda’s northwest. On its banks near its source, the biggest freshwater lake supports contemporary society. Uganda will leave you in wonder.

Many visitors to Uganda come for a vacation mostly because of the savannah settings of the country. Natural awe-inspiring environment including nutrient-rich, flattened, broad plains, short grasses, and occasional granite kopjes is what the plains naturally provide. Game viewing is certain to be outstanding all year round with this kind of vegetation.

Fantastic experiences with wildlife observing

For those who love animals, a safari in Uganda is an adventurous fantasy. Without the botherful throngs of the Serengeti, wildlife watching experiences offer you the closest anybody can go to wild lions and elephants and giraffes, buffalo, hippos, and zebras in their natural environment.

Uganda is a great private vacation location even for lone visitors who can never get thrilled about the concept of a group safari. Even for single women visitors, it is also very secure with great landscape and fauna.

Especially in the dry season from December to February and June to July when all animals must gather to drink and wash at waterholes, Uganda’s National Parks are a treasure of wildlife-viewing in Africa. And Uganda is among the best African travel places for a trip as it is quite unknown without the tourist throngs. You could travel kilometers without seeing another human, but you couldn’t go far without seeing an antelope, buffalo, or elephant.

Superior Primate Trekking Experiences
Rainforest forests teeming with the most primate populations on the continent in the southwest. Many of them are used to human visits and provide the most compelling reason why visitors to Uganda go on vacation.

Among all the activities available worldwide, visitors choose primate watching trips like gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Uganda’s jungle as the finest ones. And the primate adventures are fronting the most effective conservation campaign for any program. Within two strong protected zones, Uganda now guards almost half the mountain gorilla population worldwide.

More than 1500 common chimpanzees swing throughout western protected vast rainforests. On a vacation morning hiking through a foggy bush, Uganda has twenty primate species that catch your eye.

For birders visiting the Pearl of Africa, the list of 1090 bird species found in Uganda is an irresistible draw. Uganda also has the most easily accessible bird viewing locations; thirty distinct species may be seen sitting on a balcony at a suburban hotel in Entebbe town.

lodging and guest accommodation
One of the younger countries on the continent, Uganda offers an amazing place for lodging as a rising vacation destination. From boutique hotels to Airbnb vacation rentals, regenerative homestays to exclusive rainforest resorts, Uganda’s vast array of travel accomodation for all types of guests is a great place to come for a trip.

Visit Uganda for A Holiday With Katland at some of the most reasonably priced prices for both luxury and budget visitors. Our team of professionals understands Uganda and travel logistics to enable you to plan a personalized vacation visit to Uganda with less hassle.

Compare Golden Monkey Trekking in Uganda & Rwanda.

It is reasonable that you would like to evaluate which of the two locations would provide you a better experience as Golden Monkey Trekking is a frequent activity on gorilla safaris in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Using our travel experience, we wish to assist you in making the comparison.

Apart from few variations, golden monkey trekking is essentially like gorilla trekking. Golden monkeys, for instance, are native to the same high altitude rainforests found in central Africa, much as mountain gorillas.

Only on the slopes of the Virunga Mountains shared across three national boundaries in three protected national parks are golden monkeys found. Other groups have been recorded further south in Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda and Kahuzi Biega National Park in DRC.

Golden monkey trekking, on the slopes of the Virungas, only takes place in Rwanda’s Volcanoes and Uganda’s Mgahinga National Parks; few groups have been Habituated for tourism.

Guided golden monkey trekking events everyday in both locations, starting from the park headquarters at 07:30 and searching for a Habituated golden monkey group into an unknown length (probably 30 minutes to 4 hours).

Staying with the primates in both locations for an hour, visitors may see their unique traits and social interactions. Uganda provides a more complete experience of remaining with the golden monkeys for at least fours hours, what is called as the golden monkey Habituation experience.

Let us now examine a more detailed analysis of golden monkey trekking in Rwanda and Uganda.

Trekking with Golden Monkeys in Rwanda

Rwanda has two Habituated Golden Monkey Groups for tourists exclusively in Volcanoes National Park, offering golden monkey treking. One on Mount Karisimbi’s slopes and the second on the bamboo grove atop Mount Sabyinyo. With about 80 to 100 members in a single group, these soldiers are said to be the biggest.

At Kiningi Visitor Centre, Trekkers leave for the golden monkey walk at 07:00. Unlike the gorilla trip, the number of trekkers is not restricted; the Golden Monkey permit now is $100 per person. Either schedule the permit ahead of time or reserve at the park headquarters early on the morning of the hike.

The cost and procedures involved in getting a permit in Rwanda are relatively similar to those in Uganda. Both nations charge the same for the permit; thus, there is no restriction on the number of visitors as the activity is not as popular as gorilla trekking and trekkers will seldom count more than a dozen on a given day.

You will have to spend a night close to Kiningi if you want to be ready for the experience. Very few visitors wild drive from Kigali to see the golden monkeys that same day.

Rwanda provides one regular trip at 07:00, the same time gorilla expeditions start, unlike Uganda, which gives the experience twice a day. The time implies you will have to spend one ot two more nights to view the golden monkey as most park tourists come to see mountain gorillas and add golden monkey trekking to their vacation.

Usually lasting three nights, a gorilla and golden monkey vacation in Rwanda spends one in Kigali and two nights outside Volcanoes National Park on the foot of the Virungas.

Trekking golden monkeys in Rwanda has the drawback in that independent and frugal visitors will find it difficult to arrange a safari there from Uganda. Rwanda Tourism has positioned itself on the top end of the pricing range, which makes it challenging for budget tourists to get reasonably priced logistics and lodging.

Otherwise, monitoring golden monkeys in Rwanda has somewhat comparable experience in both nations.

Trekking with Golden Monkeys in Mgahinga

Uganda provides golden monkey treking at Mgahinga under one Habituated group consisting of around thirty people. One of a kind and special group only found in Mgahinga National Park, Uganda offers the golden monkey Habituation experience with the second golden monkey group.

Golden monkeys in Mgahinga browse in the bamboo forest zone, around two kilometers from the Ntebeko tourist center, so walking time is quite precisely calculated compared to trekking in Rwanda.

You may decide to go on the 07:30 or 14:00 golden monkey walk in Mgahinga. First, ask the park headquarters as timing depends on the amount of guests on a given day.

Your trekking party will follow an experienced guide radioing ahead for the site of the Habituated monkeys after briefing at Ntebeko park headquarters; two armed rangers will monitor your security into the bamboos slopes to locate the golden monkeys.

On a fortuitous trip, you could come across mountain gorillas or one of the most well-known forest residents—forest buffalo, elephant or duiker. Mgahinga is a biodiverse reserve with more than 70 animal species and many bird species to keep your eye on while your walk.

Like in Rwanda, the golden monkey permit in Uganda costs $100 per person and comprises one hour seeing the monkeys, a guide, two rangers, park admission fees. The habituation permit costs, per person, $140 plus fees.

Your tour agency or operator may book your golden monkey permit straight ahead at UWA headquarters in Kampala or on the Ntebeko section headquarters on the trekking day. See the experts for precise information on permits.

For independent and frugal visitors particularly, combining golden monkey trekking with gorilla trekking on one tour in Uganda is much more reasonably priced than in Rwanda. The gorilla plus golden monkey permits in Rwanda alone go $1700 per person, whereas in Uganda they run $800. The difference may earn you more than two more nights in Uganda’s savannah parks north of Mgahinga or a decent lodge on the edge of the forest.

Uganda will provide you a wider range of safari activities than Rwanda to complement your golden monkey walk-through other than gorilla trekking. Comparatively to Rwanda’s four parks and a few tourist locations, Uganda has 10 safari parks and numerous more attractions.

Usually beginning with a night in Entebbe (32 km outside Kampala), a golden monkey safari in Uganda would travel around 10 hours across the hilly countryside to the southwestern edge and stay two nights outside Mgahinga National Park. On each of the two mornings, you will hike the mountain gorillas and golden monkeys before driving north to spend some more evenings in the savannah parks.

Typically, active travelers stay in Mgahinga for another day of birding throughout the park or hiking the Virunga Volcanoes.

Visitors’ lodging in Mgahinga is rare when compared to plenty of hotel around Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Most visitors prefer to sleep in Kisoro town, around one hour’s drive away, with a decent range of accommodation options.

Though the golden monkey parks in Rwanda and Uganda are open all year long, the greatest time for golden monkey treking is during the dry seasons of June through August and December to February.

The walking paths are simple to follow in the dry months, so you know you will have a great time free from rain. But everyone decides to visit these primate locations during the dry seasons, so availability of accommodation might be a major challenge during preparation. If our visitors are to come during the dry months, we advise them to reserve their golden monkey trekking lodging months in advance.

The rainfall pours into the area in March, April, May, October, November. Most visitors will avoid visiting Rwanda and Uganda during this period, but not for independent visitors hoping to take advantage of lowered rates on amenities. If you can withstand the rain, this is the ideal time to visit for cheap gorilla and golden monkey treking.

What Items To Bring

Both Rwanda and Uganda have you spend evenings at a high altitude of around 3000m / 7185 feet; it becomes rather cold in the late hours and sometimes suddenly rains. Pack clothes to stay dry and warm during your travel.

Trekking follows somewhat steep paths with sometimes rough, muddy footing. Stow a pair of lightweight, waterproof walking shoes, pants and gaiters. To guard your arms, you will want a long-sleeved shirt; to keep your devices dry, you will want a waterproof bag.

Golden monkey hiking is physically taxing, hence pack light and you may not want more weight dragging you down.

On the plus side, you may pay twenty dollars to hire a porter at the tourist center if your load is hefty and you lack confidence in your physical ability. They will carry your daypack and get you through difficult circumstances. Besides, it’s a great opportunity to help local communities surrounding these parks and boost your self-awareness of your influence.

Arranging a golden monkey safari trip
After weighing golden monkey trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, your budget, additional activities you choose to include into your vacation, and availability of accomodation and permits will essentially dictate where to go.

While activity-wise visitors would prefer Uganda over Rwanda, budget-conscious travellers will avoid Rwanda and choose Uganda. Those independent tourists seeking the in-depth adventure experience will go toward Uganda.

Either choice you choose will enable Katland Safaris Ltd to assist you plan a golden monkey trekking safari at both locations. We will discuss all the local grounds management and logistics, including your lodging, food, and transportation.

Compare Nyungwe and Kibale For Chimp Trekking.

Promising the greatest primate experiences of anyplace in the world, Kibale Forest in Uganda and Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda are the top chimp trekking sites in Africa. Moreover, the two sites are somewhat near to the gorilla trekking sites in both nations, hence it is quite feasible to see both chimpanzees and mountain gorillas on the same trip.

About a 5-6-hour drive from the International Airport in Kigali or Entebbe and local airstriks, both parks are rather easily accessible. Planning a vacation in any nation and spending a day with our closest relatives in their natural surroundings is rather simple.

Trekking with chimps is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that ties you permanently to our natural past and It is a great experience to witness the resemblance we have with a wild chimpanzee in the center of an ancient forest.

Every day guided chimp trekking expeditions take place in Uganda’s Kibale Forest and Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest, allowing you a few feet near these amazing wild primates. If you find resonance in your travels with such encounters, make it a must-do excursion.

Still, chimpanzee hiking has some physical costs. Maintaining the energetic experience of keeping up with wild chimpanzees might exhaust your lungs. Unless they have recently finished a foraging trip, the wild bands seldom ever settle in one area. Before you descend down, perform some easy exercises to keep you on alert.

Apart from that, you need also be aware of a few other facts to help you evaluate your option between trekking in Nyungwe and Kibale. Let us review some of them;

Chimp Trekking in Nyungwe Forest; Benefits and Drawbacks

One of the two major adventure activities in Rwanda, chimpanzee trekking in Nyungwe Forest blends well with gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park,300 km north of Nyungwe. Situated on the southern border of Rwanda on a rocky Rift Valley scene that provides a major freshwater supply for the country and two large rivers, the Congo and Nile Rivers, this primate park

Should Nyungwe’s puckish chimpanzees fail to appeal you, 13 additional primates, 75 animal species, more than 300 bird species, and woodland trekking paths will most certainly grab your interest.

Apart from chimpanzee trekking, the forest canopy walk in Nyungwe Forest is very popular among nature walks. Usually walking 70-meter high above the canopy for an amazing view of the tropical jungle—a feature absent in Uganda—after the encounter with the hyperactive chimpanzees.

Especially the beautiful hiking paths, the edge Nyungwe has over Kibale offers a great range of things you might include into your chimpanzee trekking trip. Spend a week at Nyungwe and be astounded the whole time. At the Gis Sakura tourist center, there also is a habituated troop of colobus monkeys that could divert your attention throughout the day.

Although the chimpanzee trekking permit in Nyungwe ($90) is much less than in Kibale, as we all know a few disadvantages go along with affordable price tags.

Cons include
But because of the difficult high terrain, whose tracking paths sometimes get muddy, particularly after rain, Nyungwe Forest’s trails need more endurance to negotiate than those of Kibale.

The second disadvantage of Nyungwe is the dearth of options for lodging close to the visitor center. You can find yourself staying far from the chimpanzee trekking base and then pay for travel to the park.

Furthermore, Nyungwe offers minimal concessions to independent or budget tourists because to Rwanda’s goal of drawing high-cost low-volume tourism—the exact reverse of Kibale.

Finally, Nyungwe guarantees a smaller sighting percentage than Kibale; there is no guarantee that the chimpanzees will be visible even after hours of difficult hillwalking. Starting at 5:00 am, three hours earlier than in Kibale, treks allow the chimpanzee groups anywhere throughout the 340 square mile radius, so you may spend an unknown length of time looking for the chimpanzees.

Kibale Forest Chimp Trekking: Benefits and Drawbacks

Most notably because of the passable level terrain and many of habituated chimpanzees, Kibale Forest offers a much better chimp trekking experience than Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda. Other primates including chimpanzees abound in Kibale Forest.

Although the park has an amazing variety of Central African primate species like the red colobus mangabey, L’Hoest’s monkey, olive baboon, black-and- white colobus, vervet, and blue monkey, chimps may be the most entertaining guests in Kibale.

With every visit, chimp sightings are virtually certain, hence Kibale Forest is a more remarkable destination for chimp trekking than Nyungwe Forest. Kibale also provides a full-day habituation experience when guests spend the entire day among the chimpanzees. Nyungwe provides only the usual half-hour experience; sightings are not guaranteed.

Furthermore, there is a great range of hotels within walking distance that provide both low-cost and expensive options to all types of guests. Starting at 7:30 am, chimp trekking in Kibale makes much more sense for reaching the tourist center for the briefing before to the trip.

Although the chimp trekking permit in Kibale cost $300, double that of Nyungwe, the high price tag has more benefits than drawbacks.

Cons;
Most Uganda safari plans combine chimp trekking in Kibale with gorilla trekking in Bwindi. Kibale is somewhat distant from Bwindi and the roads are not as pleasant as those in Rwanda. The drive time between the two sites might entail include a night at Queen Elizabeth National Park as a buffer.

Ideal time for a chimpanzees’ hiking trip in Nyungwe and Kibale
Plan a chimp trekking trip in either Nyungwe or Kibale ideally during the yearly dry seasons of June to September. The dry hiking paths provide a much better experience than those in which it is pouring and allow you much more leisurely time with the monkeys.

Still, the wet seasons in March through May and November are equally wonderful. The chimpanzees are more easily found in the wet months when trees are producing fruit that keeps them in one area. For most people, however, the rain may cause disruptions. Few visitors will therefore decide to face the weather and opt for the dry seasons.

although you want to visit during the dry season, we advise booking your permits early even although chimp trekking permits in Nyungwe and Kibale may be easily accessible any time of the year. During the dry seasons—the busiest travel season in the area—acommodation becomes rare. Early booking guarantees your accommodation for the chimp trekking adventure.

Schedule your chimp safari.

Use Katland Safari to book your chimp trekking safari either in Rwanda or Uganda. Having run primate safaris, our knowledge will help us professionally schedule your permits, lodging, and transportation.

Planning a chimp and gorilla trekking combine with us also makes more sense as we handle all the ground handling so you can focus on the experience in the wealth of African wild rainforests. For a free quotation in the shortest available time, send us an email.

Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

High altitude northwest of Rwanda in the Virungas noted for magnificent dormant volcanic mountains; Karisimbi 4507m, Bisoke 3696m, Muhabura 4157m, Gahinga 3493m and Sabinyo 3669m; Volcanoes National Park also known as Parc National Des Volcans 160km2 /62 sq miles.

Touching and sharing international boundaries with Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda, and Virunga National Park; DR Congo, the park represents an international extension of wildlife Originally part of Albert National Park, Volcanoes National Park was first established on an African continent in 1925 for Mountain gorilla habitat and preservation.

Rich in plant nutrients and high altitudinal rainfall, volcanic soils help luxuriant flora dominated by bamboo, lobelia, meadow, thicket and montane forests thrive. Mostly in the lower valleys are swamp, lily, and wetland plants.

These are the natural elements Mountain gorillas need to survive and flourish. Golden monkeys, elephants, buffalo, bushbuck, bush pig, duiker, forest hogs, spotted hyenas, nearly 300 bird species, reptiles, insects and other animal species are additional permanent occupants but uncommon to see in the park.

Close relatives of lowland gorillas are mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei). Eastern gorillas formed by the two subspecies wander East and Central African woods. Teams of international study classified Mountain gorillas as “Endangered” species of wildlife. Mountain gorillas are apes with forward-looking heads, strong sense of thinking and judgment, shaggy body hair and no tail on their bodies.

Whereas their female counterparts average 197 pounds-260 pounds, adult male Mountain gorillas weigh approximately 397-485 pounds. For Mountain gorillas, the thick, black, shaggy body hair aid in thermal control; they absorb solar heat and preserve warmth in colder climates.

Mountain gorillas are very sociable creatures living in families or groups of related individuals. An adult male; silverback; because to old age, a white strip of body fur forms on the back of male gorillas leads family.

Though he may not be the oldest or strongest in the group, the silverback has great degree of establishing coalitions, mobilizing the family, influential and accurate in decision-making. Every mountain gorilla family has a well-known home range—an area thought to be safe with lots of supplies for whole families.

The silverback controls group security and discipline, decides on the path or direction of travel and the activities to be undertaken at that moment. Rivalries for succession and domination produce internal cliques, alliances, violent clashes, upheavals, and family split-up.

Forming a breakaway group, the losing group entices some members of an old family into the new one from their own home range near mother group. Mountain gorillas; diurnal and inactive throughout the night may spend up to 35 years in the wild.

Diet: Mountain gorillas are omnivorous, spending most of their day prowling the woods looking for fresh food including bamboo shoots, bananas, moss, ferns, passion fruit, berries, tree bark, fruits, flowers, seeds, peas, nuts, and tubers.

Mountain gorillas augment their “vegetarian” diet with insects most famously termites; they extract honey and consume bee pupae, mushrooms, rodents, snails, catch fish in ponds and hunt tiny antelopes, other monkeys, pythons and birds for meat.

Mountain gorilla is limited to tropical Africa natural woodland environment averaging 3000m-3700m above sea level, with vast quantities of rainfall, moderate temperatures and average sunlight. To support mountain gorillas’ great food consumption, the temperature, soil texture, and other elements must be suitable for continuous plant growth and simple regeneration all through year.

Only the Virunga volcanic range has these natural conditions; Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda; DR Congo; Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda. Similar environmental circumstances abound at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, where more than half of the Mountain gorillas live.

Threats; Humanity still poses the most danger to Mountain gorilla existence and survival. Their sole environment is being invaded by human activity; habitation, farming and development for commercial agriculture, logging and lumbering for wood, infrastructure including hotels, homes, road building.

While poachers trade in their body parts, scientific researchers, visitors, rangers interact with gorillas’ way of life. Traps placed for other wildlife cause the gorillas to fall in and be injured. Unless very sensitive, the local people shoot or poison mountain gorillas invading their cattle farms or agricultural fields.

Under a ranger guide and porters going into the mountains covered in dense rainforest flora on the lookout of pre-determined families of Mountain gorillas, an entourage of explorers does field exercise. Ten Mountain gorilla groups with more than three hundred individuals (as at the time of writing this) are willing for Mountain gorilla trekking trip in Rwanda. The rangers find gorilla locations depending on several criteria;

Range at home

Last view

Last nesting:

Hearing calls

New footprints, prints, and trails

New bodily waste and faecal droppings

Fresh fruit or food slights

shattered flora

Fruiting season and recurrent seasonal sighting

Gorilla aroma, smell and body odor

A few Mountain gorilla Trek Rules

Advance with a reputable tour agency your mountain gorilla trekking permit, cross verify and confirm. Among others, the permit specifies travel agency, visitor names, age, gender, residence status, date of trekking, costs paid, health report.

One set of eight visitors every day interacts with Mountain gorillas; depending on the situation at hand, one spends either one hour or less.

Organize at the briefing point one hour for a hiking activity.

Head of gorilla treking expedition is Ranger Guide. Trekking among mountains gorillas is a group activity. Maintain together.

Tell rangers about health issues or inabilities so they may designate suitable group

Carry only the most necessary things. On hand at a cost to assist guests unable to carry their bags are porters.

See, project, and maintain an 8-meter separation between mountain gorillas.

On devices when you are near gorillas, disable GPS or camera flash.

Eat light yet lively snacks from lunch boxes and drink average two lts of water.

Eating, drinking, smoking in front of gorillas is forbidden.

When working with the gorillas, avoid copying or displaying pointless body signs.

Stillness is advised when gorillas charge. When a gorilla approaches you calmly, baby gorillas are curious and playful. Keep calm when it reaches your hand or advances in your direction; keep voices quiet.

One should give personal cleanliness first priority. Spitting or urinating in ungazetted areas is forbidden.  Tell the ranger guide of any natural call to make required preparations.

Never litter. Bring with you all food wrappers, packs, and bottle lids and drop them at gazetted areas.

What clothing to wear?

Body-fitting safari pants; khaki, jeans, track suits

Body fitting long sleeved tops, blouses or shirts in subdued, environmentally safe colors

Rubber Boots or Water Resistent Hiking Shoes

Excellent stocks

Poncha or rain cover.

Hand gloves for gardeners

Roundhat, cap, or head scarf

Light warm attire

Items to pack

Back bag

Binoculars

Photograph camera

Repellent for insects

Sun protector

Lunch Box

bottle of water

basic first aid tool

Field manual

Waist bag

Plan Map

Change wears

Walking stick; maybe improvisational at the hiking assembly point

Trekking trends in mountain gorillas

January, February, June, July, August, September, December are Peak Season.

March, April, May, October, November are low seasons.

Other kinds of tourism

Monitoring Golden Monkeys: Another primate also under threat is the lovely Golden monkey, native to the Virunga range. There are less surviving individuals than mountain gorillas still found worldwide. Hiking into their bamboo zone around Virunga mountains is the sole chance to see the Golden monkey.

Bird viewing; Volcanoes National Park has about three hundred different species. The park’s bird population combines high altitude species with woodland elements. There are plenty of chances to see visiting aquatic bird species from Lake Kivu twenty-minute drive south.  For visitors to Rwanda, the park is a reliable bird viewing safari location and a worldwide Important Birding Area.

Hiking safaris; every adventurer finds great attraction in the distinctive, picturesque, dormant volcanic mountains found in Volcanoes. For curious explorers looking for other means of seeing and learning about the pristine Africa, the park provides trekking trails. The highest mountain in the Virunga range, Mt Karisimbi 4,506m, is visited on two-day adventure safaris.

One day and back expeditions on Mt Bisoke 3,771m summit. Trekkers into the highlands get a chance to discover the distinctive natural settings, engage with various animal species, challenge and overcome the rough African terrain.

The Mountain gorilla trekking safaris are feasible as the indigenous Rwandan villages around the park have coexisted with and welcomed animal conservation. Gorilla Guardians’ village trip Tourists visiting the settlement of Gorilla Guardians observe local Rwandan life. Using music, dance, theater, the community passes on a message about wildlife preservation all around.

The people of the village like living with mountain gorillas and have advantages from it. The guests have quick encounters with pottery, basketry, traditional cuisine, beer making, distillery, African craft making.

Nature walk: Volcanoes National Park’s rich animals and other lovely natural views come from its dense woods. This provides adventurers with a range of choices to maximize their exploration and achieve thrilling wilderness encounters. A excellent trail system connects to other paths with varied interesting sites.

Strong volcanic activity is shown by the ancient subterranean Musanze Caves 2km long. Unique and significant for social and political history are the updated caverns including illumination and other exquisite African art walks and decorations. Another path Dian Fossey acknowledges efforts in animal study and protection.

Primatologist, wildlife specialist, and researcher Dian Fossey worked at Karisoke Research Center in the foothills of Bisoke Mtn. She pioneered mountain gorilla habituation, protection, and wildlife preservation as well as advocated these things. The path brings one to the research center, where Dian Fossey was killed and buried.

Researchers have a bio data bank including all habituated gorillas; individual members, age, gender, physical abnormalities, health condition among others. One can clearly see the birth of new members. The Rwandan national cultural event known as Kwita izina names newborn and infant gorillas in honor of foreign personalities supporting the preservation of animals.

The event is grand and draws eminent political, financial, social local, worldwide characters. The event is marked by music, dancing, theater, speeches honoring aspirations and successes in animal conservation.

Batwa community tour: Originally living in the jungles with Mountain gorillas and other animals, Batwa tribes are indigenous. The Batwa left the woods to provide room for conservation of animals. Visitors of their homesteads come to share their traditional wilderness experiences.

Lake Kivu is typical 30 minutes driving nearby. Musanze is a lake coast town with active urban beaches. After exhausting Mountain gorilla hiking, Lake Kivu is the perfect place to re-energize. Adventurers could choose to sail on lake, eat, play beach games or rest and cover from tiredness.

Areas around Volcanoes National Park provide a great range of choices for lodging. Depending on the client’s budget and degree of quality, anything a tourist is seeking is within reach.

One luxury safari camp, Bisate Lodge, Virunga Lodge, Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Mountain gorilla view lodge, Gorilla Volcanoes Lodge, Le Palme Hotel, Le Bambou Gorilla Lodge, Muhabura Hotel, Kinigi Guest House, Musanze town with a wide options for urban accommodation is 20 minutes drive from Kinigi while Kisoro town in Uganda is 30 minutes north.

Accessibility; easy route from Kigali International Airport and Kigali City links northwest to Kinigi, Volcanoes National Park is about 150 km, 2.30 hours’ trip.  One should definitely advise private travel. Public transport from Kigali to Musanze town or Kyanika border crossing brings visitors to Kinigi.

For customers unable of using road transport or with more of a travel budget, charter helicopter trips to Kinigi town are available.

Not a stand-alone excursion in Rwanda is mountain gorilla trekking safari in Volcanoes National Park.  Visitors on a tour of Rwanda get the chance to see Africa’s Big 5 safari Mammals in Akagyera National Park: rhinos, elephants, buffalos, lion and leopard. Akagyera National Park is home to giraffes, elands, waterbucks, hippos, and many lovely birds.

Nyungwe National Park farther south gives visitors in Rwanda a chance to monitor and engage with families of habituated chimpanzees as well as many of other resident species.

CHIMPANZEE TRACKING IN KIBALE NATIONAL PARK.

Western Uganda’s 795 km2 Kibale National Park Touching into Kamwenge, Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Bunyangabu, and Kasese Districts, the park has lowland rainforest, woodland, scrub, grasslands, and wetland species.  Originally gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932, the territory of the forest rises to 1,590m in the north from a minimum of 1,101m above sea level in the south.

Then designated national park in 1993. With an average day temperature of 270C /810F and a night of 250C / 590F and 1,800mm average yearly rainfall, Kibale forest has a wet temperate environment. While Mar-May gets moderate rain, the dry seasons Dec-Feb. June and July. The season Aug-Nov gets the most rainfall; sometimes, strong storms pass over certain days.

The Kibale forest’s surrounds have a mean annual temperature of 240 Celsius. These mild temperatures and climatic conditions fitly sustain no less than 350 luxuriant plant and tree species with suitable circumstances for prospering and survival of great animal presence.

Among many other mammals, Kibale National Park has 13 primate species, more than 320 bird species, reptiles, insects, and so on. Due in great part to high chimpanzee population, monitoring, and habituation safaris and expeditions, Kibale National Park has a great international reputation.

An ape living in the woods, CHIMPANZEE (Pan troglodytes) has 98.7% DNA in line with that of the closest cousin of humans. Except for the face, hands, toes, and hindquarters, Chimpanzees’s body is black hair covered.

Long arms and legs including five fingers and toes define chimps. Thumbs separated from other fingers and toes enable one to grab and hold objects, operate tools, and stabilize movement. Natural limb walking for chimps is on both arms and legs; knuckle-walking. Sometimes chimpanzees carry, transport, deliver, or transfer objects in their hands and walk only on their legs.

Social mammals, chimpanzees live in groups sometimes numbering 250 people under the direction of an alpha male. In order to easily acquire survival materials, they broke up in smaller groups in the mornings. The alpha man is a dictator.

He guarantees protection to members of the community, discipline in the group, direction and route of travel, feeding and watering places and oversees normal activities. The alpha man gets rights of mating and feeding.

From their nests before sunrise, chimps hunt and migrate to locations rich in food. They play games, guard, sentry and patrol, curdling and grooming; they take siesta at midday and participate war exercises and pretend skirmishes.

They establish nests around sunset for the night and feed one final time close to nightfall. Except in cases of a danger mostly from a predator, thunderstorms, or wild bush fire, they are rather silent and inactive at night.

Omnivores with many choices for a diet are chimps. Main food comes from fruits, plants, fresh vegetables, shoots, barks, rhizomes, root tubers, nuts, eggs, insects, grasses. Along with gathering fish in shallow streams, marshes and ponds of water, chimps hunt in groups, catch and eat tiny antelopes, reptiles, birds, monkeys, rodents.

Though they readily adapt and periodically live in woodland, grasslands, and visit wetlands for survival supplies, chimps preferred natural environment is rainforest with many of trees that assure regular fruit supply.

Endangered with average 180,000–300,000 only individuals left on the planet; 800 only individuals estimated in Budongo Forest Reserve. Threats Chimpanzees In their native environment, chimpanzees might live up to 35 years old. Leopards, lions, and crocodiles are among the predators chimpanzees in the wild face.

Other natural hazards to chimpanzees include diseases, bush fires, droughs.  Human activity still poses the biggest danger to the existence of chimpanzees; illicit international wildlife trade, zoo capture, movies, dogs and scientific study.

While some indigenous people poison, create bush fires destroying their environment, hunt chimpanzees for game meat, trade in chimpanzee body parts for rites and ceremonies, others construct traps and kill chimpanzees that intrace on their territory.

Through unregulated human contacts, negligent disposal of human waste, littering among others, chimpanzees pick up human illnesses and aberrant habits.

Differentiating chimps from humans

Human DNA resembles that of chimps 98.7 times. Though at a slower speed, chimps can perform much of what humans do.

Like humans, chimps enjoy identical dental number and form; molars, premolars, incisors and canines

Tools allow chimps to reach their goals. They measure depths by dipping long sticks into water bodies; they use stones to break hard nuts or sticks to scoop ants from anthill or honey from beehives.

Chimpanzees are extremely sociable creatures living in groups of linked extended families, much like humans do. Every family member contributes in some way based on age, gender, and skill.

Usually born at an average two-year interval, female chimpanzees generally have one baby—twins are conceivable. At birth, the newborn has no hair and depends entirely on mother suckling on mammary glands and warmth. Female chimpanzees alternately look after young ones.

Like humans, chimps utilize senses and have equal number. They have great sense of hearing, color vision, forward-looking faces, and dislike to poison via smell.

Chimpanzees have a great awareness, intellect, and cognitive ability. Though their brain capacity is lower than that of humans, they recall annual events and patterns. Their route of conduct is determined in part by past occurrences.

Similar bodily structures characterize chimps; human-like muscles and bones.

If every member of the chimpanzee family is alive, aware, and capable of passing on messages to others should they sense danger, then life and survival for the whole family is conceivable. Sometimes days into the future, chimpanzees plan group activities.

Chimpanzees communicate using gestures and body language more akin to those of humans. Among many others, they shake hands, embrace, kiss, whistle, hold hands, snuggle, stretch hands to make requests.

Like humans, chimps experience emotions based on their surroundings; they rejoice, feel happy and exhibit enthusiasm for events like bumper fruiting season, large meals or births of kids. When confronted with danger, they exhibit symptoms of sorrow, empathy, grief or take-back; illness of people, bush fire, injury to humans,

Mostly using both legs and arms, chimps walk knuckle-wise. Sometimes, nevertheless, chimps grasp, move objects in hands and walk on legs alone.

Thrilling outdoor activity with entourages of explorers and travellers exploring woods and wilderness with forest rangers, porters and escorts on eye-catching family of habituated chimpanzees.

Best tracking time: patterns of chimpanzee movement in Kibale National Park are exactly correlated with the time’s climatic conditions and weather. Among other things, season, height, strong winds, flora and plant cover, big water bodies, human activity, tropical sun, location along the equator line, define weather and climatic conditions at a moment. Consequently, in the rainy season or over a few days in the dry season temperatures may scorch fiercely.

The driest months of the year are December, January and February. For chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park, June and July average daily temperatures vary from 150C/590F in morning to 270C /810F afternoon, early morning is most preferred times. Tracking chimps during the dry season is rather competitive. Safari camps and chimpanzee tracking passes fill up. Seeking food, chimpanzees go further into the woodlands.

Typical rain seasons marked by short breaks that could last several days include March, April, and May. The months with most rainfall are August, September, October, and November. Most of the time the weather is quite wet; rainfall create streams, rivulets, mud pools, flood paths, sometimes wash off footbridges.

There is abundance of fresh food and chimpanzees migrate closest to trail networks; vegetation mushrooms. Visitor reservations drop; safari lodges offer discounted rates and fees for chimpanzee tracking permits.

Rules Some rules for a successful, safe, and seamless chimpanzee tracking trip in Kibale National Park:

Purchase tracking allowed by a reputable travel service The permit notes names, travel agency, date and time/shift of tracking, resident status, fee paid among others.

On the day and time of tracking an hour, gather at the Kanyanchu tourist center along Fort Portal- Kamwenge Road.

Chimpanzee tracking runs two shifts from 8 a.m. to 15 p.m. Get ready for your individual shift one hour before the start of activity.

From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., chimps provide guests whole day activities.

Declare your health, verify your booking, and finish your preparations.

Chimpanzee monitoring only covers those over fifteen years.

Rangers set up groups of six guests apiece and assign porters, escorts, and forest ranger guides.

Bring lunchbox and two liters of nonalcoholic, drinking water.

Tracking of chimps is communal activity. In the jungle, keep close together.

Keep voices hushed, focus on the forest guide.

Eat, drink, and smoke away from chimpanzees.

keep good hygiene. You shouldn’t spit in the forest. Get authorization for natural calls.

Keep the park free from littering. Bin any non- recyclable object in designated areas.

Depending on the ground’s conditions, visitor time with chimpanzees is one hour or less.

Calculate and restrict 8m distance between chimpanzees in order to be healthwise cautious.

Turn off loud clicks in the camera as it annoys the chimpanzee.

Turn off GPS on devices before entering a forest.

Don’t copy chimps; avoid using body motions or sudden body movements. Chimpanzees respond violently when they feel threatened or uncomfortable.

Dress appropriately for the climate during the time of tracking chimpanzees.

Average chimpanzee tracking is four hours of exertion. Try to bring only the basics into the wilderness. Use porters for a little cost to enjoy the whole trip.

Bad attire has caused none one to miss to finish the chimpanzee tracking excursion. Pre-planned clothing codes, however, might simplify the chimpanzee tracking excursion and provide the travelers amazing outdoor experiences.

Other resident wildlife species (biting, stinging, and crawling insects, charging buffalos) in the forest and natural terrain of the forest; rivers and streams, steep hills and slopes, marshy areas and swamps; major points to bear in mind for dressing code; weather and climatic conditions; plant and vegetation cover (some plants are thorny, poisonous, have a nauseating smell); Pack sets of clothing fit for the aforementioned environmental conditions and situation.

Face masks

Long sleeves safari shirts, blouses, sweaters and tops ideally in subdued tones.

Khaki’s Safari pants in Khaki, dull-colored track suits or jeans

Rubber shoes and water proof hiking boots

Light Rain gear, poncha

Warm clothes; subdued, drab hues

strong stockings

Older and handicapped guests may require a walking stick; can make do on-site improvisation.

Hand-gardening gloves

Head gear; round hat, cap, head scarf

Sun glasses suitable for the dry season

Might require any color of clothing and design for next safaris.

What should one bring for chimpanzee tracking safaris?

What explorers pack to provide the trip fantastic memories? Investigate how best to maximize the chances to make the trip really interesting.

Backpack

Photograph

Rechargeable cameras batteries

phone charger

Binoculars.

Food basket

Bottle for water

Simple first aid tools for individuals

Field guide book, note book, pencil, pen, eraser.

robust rechargeable flash light

Guideline

Plan Map

Accommodation: A stone throw near Kanyanchu tourist Centre is an elegant safari camp, Primate Lodge. This is the perfect base for launching or rewind, unwind and revitalize chimpanzee-tracking trip in Kibale National Park. The forest margins of Bigodi, Nkingo, and Isunga are dotted with many safari camps and hotels.

Kibale guest cottages, Crater safari lodge, Nkuruba natural reserve, Isunga lodge, Kibale forest camp, Kibale safari lodge, Chimpundu Safari Lodge. Little distance separates Fort Portal City and Kamwenge town, which provide various kinds of urban accommodation. Among the easily accessible safari camps are Kyaninga Safari Lodge, Mountains of the Moon, Ndali Lodge, Aramaga Safari Camp and a few more offering very outstanding experiences.

Accessibility: Mityana and Mubende provides easiest access to Kibale national park and Kanyanchu tourist center 320km / 4 hours’ drive from Kampala. The closest known urban hub is Fort Portal city on the foothills of Ruwenzori Mountains.

Western Uganda’s visitors may reach Kanyanchu via Mbarara, Ibanda, Kamwenge or Mbarara, Kasese, Fort Portal road. From northern Uganda, visitors find Masindi, Hoima, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal route. Private charter flights are possible from airfields at Fort Portal and Kasese towns.

Other travel activities around Kibale National Park

Apart from chimpanzees, Kibale forest has 15 other primate species, exquisite butterflies, several tree types, and flora among other animals. To travelers with sharp eyes, the forest is so breathtaking that it piques interest and urge for discovery. There are chances for quick excursions spanning several hours or for longer journeys spanning several days.

Birds; Kibale forest supports more than 320 bird species inclusive of rare Albertine rift indigenous species; blue headed sunbird, red-faced woodland warbler, collared apalis, dusky crimson wing, Black capped apalis, purple-breast sunbird amongst others. For visitors on a tour of Uganda, Kibale forest is a great place to visit and an Important Birding Area.

Community tour: Indigenous people living in Kibale forest are the Bakiga and Batoro. Among the local communities, the lifestyles, clothing, homestead set-up, traditions and rituals, traditional delicacies, hand tools, art and crafts among others define attractions in their own right. Visitors visiting indigenous villages come to share special life events.

On the borders of Kibale forest, Bigodi Wildlife Sanctuary is a wetland with swamp vegetation. Rarely seen on a chimpanzee tracking trip in the forest, the swamp has a range of stunning animal species. The stroll in the sanctuary provides a chance for communities in the area to meet, connect, and share life events.

Thousands of years ago, Crater and tea estate tour the Kasenda region near Kibale forest witnessed tremendous volcanic activity. There are many lovely craters, crater lakes, and other landforms of volcanic activity in this region. Travelers get the chance to witness tea planting, care, harvesting, and processing thanks to the tea estate tour.

The tour of the Royal Palace; Toro Kingdom houses Kibale National Park. The kingdom has a cultural King in charge of fulfilling customary duties. A trip to the King’s palace in Harukoto allows guests to see more closely the Batoro people’s way of life.

Made by tectonic and volcanic causes, Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru is a geographical feature. To the native Batoro people, the cavernues have great cultural value.